why all No.s starts with zero...

[amalpbx12]

Hi guys,

It is nice 2 c u again.I have a Question spining in my mind sice long time.who is da first decided that Zero "0" number is the prefix to get access to other PSTN exchanges in a national network.

May be I guess it was decided by ITU but I'm not sure.really I'm looking for the scientfic meaning for this question,and i'm sure i'll get da answer here...

Thnx guys...

To ALREI or not to ALREI,this is the command

 

[GHTROUT]

0 is traditionally "Operator" in many countries. I believe it was picked because it was the either hardest number to misdial from rotary phones - or because no other phone would ever begin with zero.


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[GHTROUT]

I don't think there was an ITU when that was determined, either.

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[jerryreeve]

when the ability to directly dial across the country first became available you started the dialing string with a 1 for direct dial bill the number that is making the call. or a 0 to make an operator assisted call at that time all of the international calls had to go thru an (international)operator. by the time international direct dialing reared its head almost ALL of the other options for starting a dial string had been used or reserved (look at the North american Dialing Plan) and 011 was selected as acceptable by all parties I seem to remember that ATT, Seimens and Northern Telecom were the main drivers for this since they were the biggest telephone system manufacturers in the world at that time and they had to make the programming work.

----------------------------
Hill?? What hill??
I didn't see any $%@#(*$ Hill!!
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JerryReeve
Communication Systems Int'l
com-sys.com

 

[mforrence]

I think we have a bit of an international misunderstanding going on here. I believe that the original poster is from the old world where they dial 0 for an outside line (verus 9 for the US). So, I guess one answer to the OP is that not all calls begin with 0, at least not in the US. Any many phone systems (Inter-tel being one in mind) had outside calls begin with 8 so as to not conflict with 911 (thats 999 for many in the old world) dialing.
Mike

 

[SYQUEST]

Also at the time that IDDD was introduced, the Bell System was the king in the US, and Western Electric was making the 1ESS switch. IDDD was introduced on that switch, before #5 Crossbar or SxS. AT&T Long Lines and related groups, pre-NANPA made the decisions on Dialing Plans in the US, and the ITU or prior CCITT made the decisions for the rest of the globe in an advisory capacity.

....JIM....